#50 states check off list full

They even took seasonal jobs at Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska for seven weeks so they would have the opportunity to really witness its wildlife. But on average he and his wife try to stay in each state at least two days. On an old road atlas he keeps in the glove compartment of a baby blue Nissan, Pollard kept track of all the states he and his wife visited.Īt the bare minimum, he considers getting a snapshot at a state’s border beneath the welcome sign enough to circle it on his map. “I used (turning) 30 as a reason to do this, to keep traveling places I might not go otherwise,” he said. But Pollard wanted to push this goal even further.

It wasn’t until their second big road trip in 2012 that they saw how close they were to visiting all 50 states, and they decided to go for it. He and his wife, Dana, had been taking long road trips during their summers off from teaching since 2009. Justin Clark Pollard had a deadline to meet. He’s not allowed to get to 50 unless we’re all together.” The family typically stays in each state they visit for three days, but apart from how long they stay, there’s really only one other agreed-upon criterion. We’ve actually gotten out and seen the states.” “We drive so much on our vacations and camp a lot. Holmes keeps track of the states they’ve seen in an Excel spreadsheet, using the list to plan what stops they’ll make on future trips. “We do have plans on which states to visit over the next few years so that we do hit 50 before our daughter leaves for college.” “We’re not competitive,” Holmes said, but they are strategic. Because the family often drives to their destinations, they try to stop in as many states as they can in one trip. Once Cate and Tom were old enough, Holmes and her husband started letting them take turns deciding where the family would go each year. Wendy Holmes says that she and her husband, Chris, have been taking their 13-year-old daughter Cate and 7-year-old son Tom on trips since they were infants. Their oldest child, Cate, is barely a teenager. Together the Holmes family of Pennsylvania has traveled to 40 states. “I was sure to send Tom a card,” Carswell recalled. Sent to San Francisco on business in 1998, he extended his stay to rent a car and drive north to Oregon. I needed to take matters into my own hands,” he said. It took seven more years for Carswell to visit Oregon, the one state he needed.

Carswell was still two states shy of completing his goal, making sure he followed the criteria they set when they first made the bet. The bet lasted 15 years, until Carswell received a postcard from White declaring he had reached his 50th state.

#50 states check off list full

In order to count a state as “visited,” the two men agreed that they had to spend at least one full hour in a state during the day, be outdoors at least part of the time, set foot on the actual ground, and go beyond the state’s border. Here’s how it’s done:īack in 1976, Don Carswell of New Jersey, now 53, and his friend Tom White made a bet to see who would be the first one to set foot in all 50 states. Those who are truly passionate about making it to all 50 states often have their own criteria for crossing them off the list, from a hard-core requirement of staying in a state for more than a month to simply hopping out of the car to snap a picture at the border.ĬNN asked avid 50-staters to run down their requirements. To “visit” a state, a person has to step outside the airport and breathe the air, according to the organization’s website.

In fact, anyone who knocks 35 off the list is eligible for membership in the exclusive All Fifty Club, an organization that recognizes individuals who make it to every state with a plaque or certificate to commemorate their accomplishment. For those on a quest to visit all 50 United States, each one is like a jagged piece of a very large jigsaw puzzle.įitting in all 50 states is an impressive achievement.